Become A Better Job Seeker: Mentor Someone

job seekers, a job, job seeker, job search, better jobs, trains, employment, job, counsel, mentor, structure, strategy

Many of us know what to do.

We’ve been trained or counseled. We’ve read up on the need for a strategy and structure to succeed during a job search.

If you haven’t, you might want to consider a job search assessment to understand more about what you are doing and how it compares with the habits of successful job seekers.

But most of you know what to do – you are just not doing it.

But why?

Some let pride get in the way. Some are lazy. Some are too full of optimism (you think everything will be OK).

I’ve met so many who say they know what to do. And promptly head out and do something else.

I meet with many like this who ask for a meeting to get some ideas. Sometimes, though, I’m silent during much of the conversation as they tell me the important things to do.

So how do we turn this around? How do we get the “people in the know” to become the “people who do“?

Here’s my idea: mentor another job seeker for 30 days.

Find someone who just got started. Freshly laid off. And be their guide.

Ideally? Find someone in your industry. Looking at the same target companies but perhaps a different level or a different function.

Become their mentor, accountability partner and network builder.

Why does this work?

The pressure to prepare a strategy for someone else will show and remind you what you should be doing for yourself. And make you do it.

If you’ve ever been in sales and had to prepare for your regional manager coming into town, you know that your preparation for the week is substantially better.

And your week is highly efficient. Because it needs to be. Your boss is in town.

So here’s a truth. During job search your boss is in town every week.

It’s you.

Thanks ShashiBellamkonda for the photo via Flickr

About the Author:

Tim Tyrell-Smith is the creator of Tim's Strategy, a ground-breaking online job search and career strategy tool. As a blogger, Tim has been a regular contributor to U.S. News and World Report, was featured in USA Today, interviewed twice on NPR and is the author of two career books (“30 Ideas” and “HeadStrong”). Become a fan at http://facebook.com/TimsStrategy and follow on Twitter (@TimsStrategy). He lives with his wife and three kids in Mission Viejo, California.

Tim Tyrell-Smith – who has written 522 posts on Tim's Strategy®.

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